妙法蓮華經玄義 2.184

2.184

四、開麁顯妙者，三世如來本令眾生開佛知見，得無生忍，大事因緣出現於世。《法華論》云：「蓮華出水義：不可盡出離小乘泥濁水故，入如來大眾中坐，如諸菩薩坐蓮華上，聞說無上清淨智慧」者，必非坐華葉也。乃是諸菩薩聞說一圓道，證一圓果，處華王界，同舍那佛坐蓮華臺耳。佛意如此。始見我身，初聞一實，已入華臺。為未入者，從頓開漸，更以異方便，助顯第一義。說諸二諦，或單、或複、或不可思議，種種不同，皆為華臺而作方便。但如來常寂，而化周法界，實不分別，先謀後動，施此汲引慈善根力，令諸眾生從此得入。

Four, opening the coarse and revealing the subtle: The fundamental purpose of the Tathāgatas of the three periods is to cause sentient beings to open the knowledge and insight of the Buddha and attain the forbearance of non-arising; it is for this one great cause that they appear in the world. The Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra says: 'The meaning of the lotus emerging from water: because they have emerged without remainder from the muddy, turbid water of the Hīnayāna, they enter and sit among the great assembly of the Tathāgata, like all the bodhisattvas sitting atop lotuses, hearing the exposition of unsurpassed pure wisdom.' This certainly does not mean sitting on petals of a flower. It means that all the bodhisattvas, having heard the exposition of the single perfect path, verify the single perfect fruit, dwell in the realm of the Flower King, and together with Vairocana Buddha sit upon the lotus pedestal. Such is the Buddha's intent. When they first saw my body and first heard the single reality, they had already entered the lotus pedestal. For those who had not yet entered, [the Buddha] opened the gradual from the sudden, and further utilized different expedient means to help reveal the paramārtha. Expounding various two truths—whether single, double, or inconceivable—with various distinctions, all served as expedient means for the lotus pedestal. Yet the Tathāgata is eternally tranquil, and his transformations pervade the dharma realm; in reality he makes no discrimination, nor does he deliberate before acting, but deploys this power of drawing forth and compassionately establishing good roots so that all sentient beings may enter thereby.